Mutual Need
by Aralain
Summary: LONG third chapter up… LEMON! Gekkou Kita was no stranger to the world of Shinobi. It could be hard and it could be lonely, but she refused to let it keep her down. She had faced her share of horrors, but she held onto the good in her life living with plenty of hope and laughter. As for her and Gai…? They fulfilled a mutual need or at least… that was all she'd thought at first.
1. Chapter 1

Mutual Need

By Aralain

Disclaimer: I don't own the world, just this particular story which was written for entertainment purposes only

Author's Note: This is not my usual relationship… though it is certainly touched by a liberal amount of angst which I think may be my modus operandi… Please let me know how it reads because I'm not sure how this will be perceived. VERY MATURE! Do not read if you are underage…. bla bla… bla…

"No no no! Back up! Give them space!" a voice shouted over the already loud room. Many eyes turned that direction at the higher pitch which to many would usually mean danger, but the laughter that rang around the same area indicated that it was meant in jest.

"Damn right you'll give me space," a light, laughing voice said in response. A bright green pair of laughing eyes matched the voice of the small kunoichi who rubbed her hands together eagerly, staring at three things: a bottle, a shot glass, and a small wooden stool. She drew a deep breath, prancing on the balls of her feet and straightening her arms out shaking them swiftly. She was getting pumped, getting ready. Five drinks down meant the thin messenger shinobi was practically tanked already and the night was still young.

"You won't be able to grab it and if you do, it's going to break in your face and we'll have a mess Kita-chan," a large man beside her said, sighing and shaking his head.

"Do we have a medical ninja in here!?" the woman named Kita called loudly though her light voice didn't have much weight to it. No one spoke up. She scanned the crowd. She pointed directly at a shinobi who was seated with his back to them. "We have a copy nin. I'm sure that magical eye of his can throw out a healing jutsu or two!" she declared, hiccoughing comically.

"I'm a medic!" a voice suddenly said. Chuckles echoed in the small bar once more as the eyes turned to the too-drunk Umino Iruka who'd never performed a medical ninjutsu in his life.

"Good, designated medic is Iruka," Kita said, green eyes sparkling merrily.

"Seriously. This is the stupidest idea I've ever heard Kita-san and I thought I was master of ridiculous drunken challenges!" Genma's familiar voice made its way over to the experienced shinobi, Hatake Kakashi who glanced over before he determinedly feigned disinterest.

"Are you scared Genma-senpai?" the light voice taunted.

"He's definitely scared Kita-san," another woman said.

"You're welcome to back out Senpai. I doubt anyone would blame you. You full jounin are all talk these days anyway, glorified chuunin at best. It's us subordinate Special Jounin who carry this village. Besides, everyone knows that I'm going to win," Kita teased with a slight slur to her voice. Genma sighed, shaking his head. He walked up next to the stool beside hers and removed his senbon, throwing it down into the wooden floor.

Kakashi shook his head, knowing exactly what was about to happen behind him. He turned his chair slightly to watch but only once he was sure none of them could see him. He'd been listening to their banter for over an hour now. More than one person had come up with a ridiculous idea tonight and while he'd never met this particular group of chuunin and apparently lower-ranking jounin, it was clear that Genma was good friends with a few of them, not to mention he was chasing the Kita girl pretty determinedly.

"Everyone ready?" another familiar voice struck him. He hadn't realized Anko was here. He chanced a glance up to see that it was indeed her. She held the two bottles of liquor. The kunoichi named Kita was staring at her bottle hungrily waiting impatiently to begin the challenge. Genma was looking at her with lust-filled eyes, but he was usually looking like that about this time of night at some poor girl or another. It wasn't Kakashi's business who Genma was interested in hounding.

"Three, two, one," Anko counted off before throwing the bottles high and spinning them with an unbelievable amount of power. They were circular blurs in the air.

Genma jumped, trying to maintain his standing position and catch hold of the end in his mouth. Kita jumped in an entirely different way. She jumped over and around the bottle with an astounding speed, turning into the spin and successfully catching the bottle in her mouth. She landed with one hand on the small stood, feet straight in the air. It wavered slightly, lifting up on two legs, but she balanced herself and it settled back down onto three

There was a loud crash as Genma's bottle broke in his face. Kita however was apparently going for style points because she jerked her head to spin the bottle around, catching the back end with a chakra-hold at her forehead and pouring it into the shot glass before grabbing the bottle in one hand, jumping back to her feet. She took the now-full shot glass in the other and draining the small glass before slamming it down. She completed the challenge perfectly. A deafening roar went up from the group and even many who weren't a part. Kakashi found himself suitably impressed even.

"Iruka, it looks like Genma-senpai hurt himself!" Kita called to the red-faced sensei, who jumped to his feet with a mocking diligence before stumbling into Kita's large friend from before.

"I'm not physically injured, Kita-san, but perhaps there's something else I could use some help with," Genma said, stepping towards her and running his hand down her arm suggestively. She batted it aside with a laugh.

"Perhaps the copy ninja knows some jutsu to help with that wounded pride. They say he knows a thousand jutsu after all. Hatake-san!" she called, waving him over enthusiastically. He didn't move for a moment. He had no idea how this kunoichi even knew who he was, but as he looked back at her, he was unable to keep himself from finding humor in the fact that Genma was being shut down so easily. Apparently he was so hard up tonight that his eyes became fixed upon Anko for a moment before he seemed to shake that thought off.

After a minute, Kakashi tucked away his book and rose gracefully. He walked towards the group, which parted, eyes looking up at him in awe for a moment. He walked straight up in front of Kita who smiled broadly up at him. He turned to Genma, looking down and then up, lifting his headband and spinning his Sharingan for a moment before covering it again. "Hopeless," he muttered. This brought the loudest laughter yet as Genma's face reddened instantly.

Kakashi blinked when he found himself on the other side of Kita in a split-second, staring at the place he had been, Genma stumbling through it as his thrown fist had met air. Kita's hand was wrapped around Kakashi's elbow, but she said nothing about her unbelievably fast reaction. Instead she released him and as if nothing had happened at all. She turned towards the bar and tipping back the large bottle, until the large guy beside her swiped it out of her hands, holding it up above her head. She scowled at him, jumping at it once but then seeming to realize herself. She scowled at him, but chose not to fight.

Kakashi stared at Kita's back, glancing at Genma who was being wrestled out of the bar by Anko and two of his more-sober chuunin friends. Kita had reacted before Kakashi had even realized he was in jeopardy and she didn't even seem affected by it. On top of that, she was clearly beyond her limit with alcohol. He'd have to look into this kunoichi. Only one man he had ever known was faster than that and his name was Namikaze Minato and Minato had used ninjutsu to accomplish those speeds.

He heard more laughter and decided it was time to be done with tonight. As he turned however, he found a pair of dark, intense eyes before him and sighed. Gai… just what he needed tonight. He moved to step around the man but the man stepped in front of him, letting out that humming sound that meant he wasn't going anywhere. Damned idiot!

"Gai-kun!" Kita's voice cried. Gai immediately took a step back, looking around Kakashi and catching a blur of blue and green as the younger kunoichi threw herself at him. He closed his eyes, smiling a small warm smile, one Kakashi couldn't remember having seen on the usually ridiculously overenthusiastic shinobi's face before. It was almost tender.

Kakashi stared at the back of the girl's head of shiny brown hair as she clung to the jounin. It was the Kita girl. She looked small in his arms, even smaller than she already was. When she dropped back down onto her feet, she beamed up at him and stumbled a bit to the right. This caused Gai to chuckle, but he righted her without a word. "Kakashi, have you met my lively and beautiful comrade Gekkou Kita!?" he exclaimed.

"Hayate's sister?" Kakashi asked with a frown.

"My most impressive and astounding accomplishment!" she declared, bowing low and smoothly. Gai's hand on her shoulder was the only thing that kept her from face-planting. When she stood up too fast she stumbled back into him, chuckling at herself unabashed.

"How do you know Gai?" Kakashi asked, thinking that her speed made sense now. She must have trained with Gai.

"Gai-kun? I've always known Gai. He and my brother were best friends back in their academy days," she frowned, looking up at him. "Why? You got a problem with Gai?" she slurred, her body language turning aggressive. Apparently her shots had caught up with her. She took a step towards him, but Gai wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her back. She lolled her head back clumsily against his chest and grinned up at him mischievously. "I'm defending your honor, Mai-to Gai," she told him, saying his name in a sing-song voice. He smiled for a moment, but then it faded and he sniffed slightly.

"Someone gave you tequila," he said, his eyes looking around sharply, his arms clamping down around her. "Was Genma here?" he demanded, turning his sharp and incriminating gaze upon Kakashi.

"Gai, lemme go!" the small woman huffed in complaint, looking forward and struggling a bit. Her arms were now wrapped up in his strong grasp, immobilized. She huffed, her hair blowing away from her face then falling back in her eyes.

"Genma?" he demanded, still staring Kakashi down. Kita shook her head to Kakashi almost imperceptibly and Kakashi shrugged.

"Who?" he asked dully before shoving his hands in his pockets and walking away. The sounds of Kita and Gai struggling behind him almost had him glancing back, but he kept on, leaving the bar without a word to anyone else. It had definitely been an interesting evening.

:-D Thanks for reading. More to follow


	2. Chapter 2

Mutual Need

by Aralain

Chapter 2

The next time Kakashi ran into Gekkou Kita was outside a debriefing room in Interrogations Department a few months later. She smiled at him brilliantly as if they were the best of friends offering a big wave in greeting. With her demeanor, one probably wouldn't be able to tell that she'd just walked out of the debriefing room with Morino Ibiki. Only A-ranked missions and higher required a debriefing by the Interrogations Department. Apparently this wasn't just some run-of-the-mill kunoichi as he'd believed her to be. He'd decided that night in the bar to look into her but hadn't ever followed up having decided that Gai was the reason for her shocking speeds, but he wasn't so sure now. Gai had rarely been on the type of covert missions that required Interrogation's top specialist to see to the debrief.

"Cheer up Hatake-san," she told him, half-walking, half-skipping past him. She was an odd one that was for sure.

"Kakashi, you know Kita?" Ibiki's voice came from behind Kakashi as he turned to watch the strange kunoichi.

"Not really," Kakashi said. "She knows Gai."

"Knows is a bit of an understatement," Ibiki snorted.

"Understatement?" Kakashi asked, surprised. She'd been rather touchy with Gai which wasn't quite usual for the green-clad, bushy-browed jounin, but he hadn't suspected anything further than that. It hadn't occurred to him at all actually

"Never mind," Ibiki shook his head. "She's just as crazy as he is so I guess it's a good fit those two."

"What mission did she just get back from?" Kakashi asked. Normally, the question would be off-limits, but Kakashi had the highest of security clearances. As an ANBU Captain he periodically recruited new members and the track record of virtually any shinobi in the village was open for him. Still, Ibiki gave pause. He looked around carefully, before shrugging obviously deciding not to argue.

"Infiltration number 17. She says she is going for the big four, all the top shinobi villages," he sighed shaking his head. "Got captured this last time, but I think she did more interrogating than Suna's Interrogations Department."

"Infiltrations is one of my teams' specialties," Kakashi muttered, wondering why he'd never heard of her.

"That kunoichi lives for Infiltration," Ibiki said, with a smirk. "It's like a game for her, her favorite game."

"Who's on your debriefing?" Ibiki asked, glancing at the clock.

"Taki," he replied.

"I'll be sure he is headed this way," Ibiki said, walking past the copy nin who entered the room, glancing at the seat where the debriefed were to sit. There were a few drops of blood smeared on the handle causing him to frown. He sniffed. There was more blood. He walked around the chair to see some smeared there as well. She had been injured? He hadn't even noticed. Strange kunoichi…

BREAKBREAKBREAKBREAKBREAKBREAK

Kita was simply exhausted. She finally allowed herself to limp once she made it to the safety of her apartment. She stumbled into the table beside the door as she tried to remove her shoes, cursing and straightening herself but not the table. She made it into the bathroom which was only a few steps in actuality but felt like a lot more effort. As she shed her chuunin jacket, she looked down at the dark blood staining her right hip. She peeled off her blue shirt and then folded her pants down a few times until the cut was visible.

Not fast enough… she hadn't been fast enough and knowing that hurt. It was a horrible feeling, one she was not used to and she didn't appreciate. She couldn't take her injury to the hospital though because that would mean admitting that someone was fast enough to hit her. Quickly she removed her pants and underclothes, stepping into the shower before it had truly warmed up.

She scrubbed herself clean of the memory of Suna. She hated that place but it just so happened that she was excellent at infiltrating that village. She'd never failed. She smirked. Well, some might disagree but she didn't get captured unless that was a part of the plan. Ibiki had scolded her quite nastily for her recklessness, but she'd gleaned some good information from the inexperienced interrogator. Unfortunately, next time they would realize who she was. She wasn't sure she wanted to try counter-interrogation in Suna any longer. She scowled at the memory of that kunai cutting through her. Who had that been? The kazekage, she thought with a shudder. She definitely needed to avoid Suna.

Her anger washed over her, replacing the fear and she sighed, turning off the water and stepping out of the shower. She dried off, glaring fiercely at the blood leaking down her leg and jerked a drawer open, yanking out a box and tossing it onto the counter. With unsteady hands she began to clean the wound out. It wasn't complicated. It was a deep laceration, but easily dealt with. She smeared an antiseptic upon it then reached in for a suture. Drawing a deep breath, she pushed it through her skin, her entire body shaking as she sutured the wound together with unpracticed, clumsy hands. Once she was finished with that, she covered it with a clean bandage and secured it.

She looked at herself in the reflection of the mirror, her face pale and eyes wide. She'd always been this way, Gekkou Kita. She was too small, too weak to be a shinobi or so they'd always said of her growing up such a sickly child. Hayate had never thought so though. Hayate always looked after her, taught her to excel and she'd found her strengths in time. As she dressed in a dark blue shirt and her customary konoha-blue pants she thought of her brother, hoping he was doing well on his latest mission. She knew he was though. Hayate had always done well. Hayate was a prodigy whereas she'd been ever the disappointment to her father in both build and temperament.

Her black eyes stared back at her as she swiped her hand through the still-fogged mirror. She looked every bit as tired as she felt, but the day was still young and she had a lot to do. Her mission had been long-distance running so she was very tired, but she would work on her sprints until she felt confident that this wouldn't happen again. She glanced down at her side before shaking her head and picking up a brush. She ran it through her long hair slowly, methodically.

"Hayate-niichan, hurry up and get home," she frowned, wondering why she was so worried this time. It wasn't unusual for him to be away on missions for months at a time. He'd hardly been gone a few weeks. Still, she could really use her brother right now. He could always put things into perspective.

Leaving her apartment, she felt lighter and happier under the sun. She took a moment to draw a deep breath of fresh air and start clean today. Putting the past behind her, she ran out over Konoha. She was alive and safe and ready to be better than she was yesterday or rather three days ago because that was when she'd been injured. She had to succeed.

Hours later, Kita wiped her hand across her forehead to keep the sweat from dripping into her eyes. The village was warm for the time of year, but she wouldn't be quite so hot if she'd let up a bit earlier. Her legs were screaming at her, but she took small measured steps, tensing her muscles experimentally. People stared at her as she randomly jumped into the air every few steps testing her muscles, but she didn't care in the slightest.

As she jumped, she looked to her right at a familiar feeling. She caught sight of him and a tired smile came to her face immediately. Slipping into the open building through the half-lowered curtain she walked forward quickly, grabbing his arm in a tight grip. "Gai-kun," she said. He grinned back at her, lifting his hand up to cover hers. Normally she would avoid bothering him during the day, but it was late into the evening now and he had not been speaking nor had his companion so she didn't feel too incredibly rude interrupting.

"Do you think we could train tomorrow? I am sorry to ask, but I feel as if my short distance speeds are waning and I need to maintain top physical form," Kita said, glancing at Gai's companion and wondering why she kept running into the black-eyed copy nin. Yamamoto's was a popular place and she could have guessed Gai would be here as he was often enjoying a drink of sake alone on a Friday afternoon following a long week of training, but she did not expect his Sharingan-wielding rival.

"Of course, Kita-chan. We shall make a challenge of it. If by the end of the day, you are not able to out-sprint me, I will run 100 laps around Konoha to make up for my poor ability as a mentor!" he exclaimed. Kakashi pulled out his book from Gai's side, turning slightly away and seeming to ignore the two of them.

"That's a lot of laps, Gai. I wouldn't want you to be too tired," she said, with a devilish smirk. "I suppose I will have to out-sprint you to keep you from that fate."

"Ah, well you shall try Kita-chan, but I assure you I have improved greatly since our last worthy contest!" Gai exclaimed.

"And yet you never quite match up," she grinned with a false cockiness. He would beat her, as he usually did. Only a few times, mostly by lucky chance had she overcome him in speeds. He grabbed her hand, pulling her down to sit beside him. She didn't resist, instead leaning against his shoulder and yawning lightly.

"Didn't you return from a mission today?" he asked.

"Ah," she nodded.

"Straight into training I see!" he said.

"What gave it away?" she muttered laughingly. She was decked out in training gear, complete with visible weights upon her legs.

"My dear Kita-chan, you're wearing training gear!" he replied, matter-of-factly to her rhetorical question. Kita met Kakashi's eye and they shared a humored moment from either side of the green-clad nin. Gai would never get the point of a rhetorical question.

"Kakashi-san, I have heard you are being instructed to take on a genin team," she said conversationally.

"I am," he nodded, not lowering his book.

"Rumor has it, you regularly fail a team each year. Do you take pleasure in dashing their dreams or are you just too lazy," she asked with a laugh. He stiffened, but the carefree way she said it made it clear she didn't mean anything by it.

"I will not take a team that does not understand the importance of teamwork," he said simply.

"I'll drink to that," she said, snatching Gai's glass and taking a long drink. She grinned cheekily at him, but he simply laughed, shaking his head.

"I will get you another then?" he suggested, standing. She nodded, smiling up at him.

"Of course, you wouldn't leave out poor Kakashi-san. It would be discourteous not to buy him a drink when you're getting me one," she reminded him. He grinned.

"Of course my lovely Kita-chan. I wouldn't dream of slighting my eternal rival in such a fashion!" Gai declared loudly, drawing attention from all around.

"You're even better at manipulating Gai than I am," Kakashi said, with a slight eye-crinkle. She grinned.

"Just because I suggest things and he agrees and they happen to be beneficial to you, doesn't mean you should tac such an ugly word to it," she told him jokingly, watching Gai order at the bar smiling distantly.

"He really enjoys your company, you know," she said in a soft voice. Kakashi chose not to respond. "He may not say so, but he's always looked up to you even admired you. I suppose it's hard not to." She turned to look at Kakashi who appeared completely unaffected by her words. She smiled though, knowing the truth. He was not quite so unfeeling as he would have others believe. She knew his type. Her own brother Hayate was a great deal like this man.

Kita raised Gai's glass, drinking once more. It was a bit sweet for her, but Gai did enjoy his sugary drinks. She smiled, glancing at him once more. He was talking loudly to Genma in what appeared to be an almost-unkind fashion, but she didn't move to interfere. The two of them were always at odds, not that she could really pretend she didn't understand why. Gai should know better. Gai shouldn't start fights with his subordinate jounin over stupid things.

"You were successful on your last mission?" Kakashi asked.

The young woman inclined her head. "So much so that I have been promoted," she added, but didn't elaborate. Gai glanced their way and gave her an enthusiastic wave when he caught her staring. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head at him.

"What type of relationship do you have with Gai?" Kakashi asked, getting straight to the point. She glanced at him in surprise. That had come out of nowhere. There was a short silence, but Kita was anything but shy.

"I'm not used to defining my relationships to overprotective comrades," she said, smiling and thinking for a long moment. She shrugged, but Kakashi was dissatisfied.

"That is no answer," he told her.

She cocked her head to the side. "Gai is…" she paused, frowning. "Gai is important to me." Kakashi's gaze was piercing and she wasn't sure what to make of it. It didn't seem angry, but she didn't know the copy ninja very well. He could very well be plotting against her behind that dark eye. "I'm not sure how to say this without sounding too coarse. We fulfill a mutual need." Kakashi's eye widened. She laughed at his shocked gaze. "You tell Gai I said that and I will hit you hard. As a matter of fact, he'll probably hit you first and much harder but I assure you that I'm no lightweight," she giggled.

"You and… Gai?" he clarified. She snorted.

"Don't sound so surprised. Gai is nothing if not practical," she said. She gave him a look as she felt Gai walking up behind her. She smiled at the green-clad jounin as he set down three glasses. She slid one across to Kakashi who was still staring at her as if trying to pull apart a puzzle. Kita shook her head, knowing if he didn't knock it off even Gai was going to notice. To distract the green-clad jounin, she took his hand under the table, lacing her fingers with his.

"Have I interrupted a riveting and youthful discussion?" Gai questioned exuberantly.

"Not at all. Apparently Kakashi-san and I have absolutely nothing in common. It was quite strange without you here," she said, lightly. She took her drink with her free hand, sipping it slowly.

"That is not quite true. You share a common specialty," Gai said. This was apparently news to Kita who looked at Kakashi curiously, but there was a keenness to her eyes that had him questioning that youthful glint. "Though I have to say Kakashi, Kita is without a doubt the best Infiltrations Specialist in the village."

"You have a specialty in Infiltrations now as well Kakashi-san?" she asked, frowning in surprise. He began to believe her though wholly believing an Infiltrations Specialist in anything they said was often the biggest mistake one could ever make. He inclined his head slightly. "Goodness, how many does that make? Can't you leave one or two to the rest of us?"

"Seven," he replied blandly, not expounding on what those were. She shook her head.

"Kita should be a full jounin soon. She had already been officially validated as Top Messenger Jounin as well," Gai said. She felt warmth spread through her at Gai's compliment. He was so sincerely warm and kind. He far outclassed her as a ninja of course, but he would never miss the chance to brag about her accomplishments. She tightened her hand around his larger one.

"Keep talking me up Gai-kun and Kakashi-san is going to confuse me for an extremely gifted shinobi," Kita told him.

"You are very talented Kita-chan," Gai scolded her.

"I'm too tired to get into an epic argument tonight," she replied drawing a chuckle from the green-clad jounin.

"It would have been epic," he agreed not-so-objectively, his dark eyes glittering mischievously.

"I am the best Infiltrations Specialist in the village though," she told him, though her eyes were on Kakashi instead as if daring him to argue. He didn't. Kita finished her drink, setting it aside and closing her eyes for a moment before releasing Gai's hand and standing.

"Gai-kun, it is time for me to call it a night," she said softly, glancing at Kakashi and bowing to him slightly. "If you'll both excuse me."

"I should walk you home," Gai said going to rise, but she placed a hand on his shoulder, leaning to kiss his cheek.

"First, I'm not going home and second, you haven't spent nearly enough time with your eternal rival these last months. Perhaps you can even get a quick challenge in?" she suggested, her twinkling eyes turning to Kakashi who scowled back at her.

Kita's walk towards Gai's apartment was interrupted by a black flash. She flipped backwards, whipping out her blade in the same motion. There was a sharp cling, a familiar cling. She laughed, shoving the figure back, sheathing her sword, and jumping for him. Her brother caught her in his grasp with a matching chuckle. When she pulled back and looked up at him, she noted the heavy circles under his eyes, the pale color to his face in the low light of a nearby street-lamp. He looked otherwise together though.

"Where were you headed?" he asked.

"I was planning on breaking into Gai's apartment and dropping this in his shampoo bottle," she said mischievously. She whipped out a very small bottle from her weapons pouch, waving it in front of him with a cheeky grin. He knew immediately what it was.

"Wasn't once enough?" he rolled his eyes shaking his head.

"It will never be enough! Not until I stop finding pink flower petals every other day from that damned man's attempt to make my apartment more youthful," she laughed loudly. "Oddly, they never seem to wilt." She gave her brother an incriminating look. She had quickly caught on that Gai had been continuing to stash the flowers throughout the house and remove the old ones. She was sure her brother knew something about it. Gai didn't know about at least two of her traps and Hayate was the only person that could help him with that.

"I have nothing to do with Gai's youthification," Hayate sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets and leaning back on his heels. He frowned down at her.

"What have you been eating?" he demanded.

"Oh knock it off. I can take care of myself, you know," she told him with a glare. Her smile weakened it though.

"You can't even keep a single jounin with a box full of Yamanaka's finest cherry blossom petals out of your apartment for a single day," Hayate mocked.

"HA! You do know something about it," she said, pointing her finger at him accusingly.

"If your apartment was not quite so bare and depressing Gai wouldn't-"

"My apartment isn't depressing! It is functional. I am hardly ever there anyway so I'm not sure why it matters!" she growled, crossing her arms. "I was trying to be glad that you were home, but now I'm not sure."

"'You're hardly ever there'?" Hayate asked, scowling at her with a murderous glint in his eyes.

"Because I'm so busy around the village," Kita recovered quickly, knowing he was jumping to the correct conclusion that she wasn't sleeping in her own apartment. "Unlike you, I'm important around here niichan." She huffed, raising her nose to him. He relaxed a bit, but there was still censure in his eyes.

"Keep telling yourself that Kita-chan," he muttered, going to walk past her and ruffling her hair along the way. She ducked him too late, but watched him go. She knew he had to report for debriefing, but she really wanted to spend time with him. She didn't need to tell him to come find her when he got released. She would be his first stop. She tucked away the little bottle in her hand, knowing she could always color Gai's precious bowl cut a ridiculous green color another time. There was a bit of sadness in her as she turned from his apartment towards her own, but it was a near-certainty Hayate would seek her out once he finished his debriefing.

Thank you. Will get very mature very quickly… probably next chapter though I'd have to check to be sure. Please proceed with caution if you are made uncomfortable by such content.


	3. Chapter 3

Mutual Need

by Aralain

Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto world.

ALCON, this ends with a lemon. If you don't like that, you probably selected the wrong type of story. Those of you okay with that… enjoy! :-)

The festival was closing in on them and no matter what she did, Kita could not duck all the requests. She knew she'd have to go. She was the young clan leader's unmarried sister. It wasn't exactly an option for her. Also, she was too old now to go on Hayate's arm.

She sighed, turning her tea cup in front of her again and again as her tea cooled. She looked around the dark, depressing apartment dully. Hayate was right. It was horrible. It was run down, small, lonely, and pretty much the worst. The fridge let out a weird sound and she turned towards it, laughing as she noticed a slew of petals resting just in front of the fridge door. She shook her head. She was so going to destroy him.

Kita had few possessions. Seven sets of the usual jounin-issue gear, a chuunin jacket, a headband… She could be just any shinobi in the village except for the sword strapped to her back. It was made of the finest steel in the fire country, forged before the village of Konoha was even established.

The Gekkou had been a part of this region as long as history went back. Despite their devastating jutsu, they were rather understated as a group. Gekkou weren't for the clan politics. They weren't for maneuvering or anything of that sort. They were shinobi… plain and simple. They were ready to serve and ready to die… for their country, for their comrades. If Konoha ever did fall, they'd continue as they always had, defending fire country. This was one of the reason Gekkou were highly-sought by the Feudal Lord to protect him, especially in uncertain times. He wanted to keep close those he knew would never abandon the Fire who but country first.

Still, sometimes one wished for more: for human connection, for happiness, for the simplicity that came along with having little resting on one's shoulders. Unfortunately, Hayate couldn't duck his responsibilities. He'd been made clan leader while he'd still been a teen, a clan nearly 20 shinobi strong and a great many civilians. She was the errant, immature younger sister and she was alright with that. She could have those things Hayate seemed to feel he couldn't, but she wished he could.

If he didn't get to his more specific obligations soon, such as producing an heir, it would leave carrying their house on to her. That was a scary thought… Gekkou Kita with children. She closed her eyes imagining it. They'd be horrendous little dark-eyed monsters, the spitting image of their uncle, with all the obnoxious enthusiasm of their mother. Her eyes shot open when she pictured one in a too-large green jumpsuit. She was both shocked and embarrassed, trying to shake the thought out of her head.

The Gekkou girl looked around as if someone had seen her thought. She looked down at her cup of tea and laughed aloud to herself. Really? Jumpsuits? Her mirth nearly brought tears to her eyes, but she found a way to control herself, lifting her tea to her lips and downing the rest of it, with a grimace at both the temperature and the taste. She really needed to stop trying to brew her own tea. Hayate wouldn't even drink it anymore. Was it her fault if she was a bit forgetful and let it steep for five to six times as long as it should? He should really grow up and drink his tea like a man. Gai loved her brew! Didn't he? She frowned, questioning how anyone could think that tasted good. Was he lying to her!? Oh she would get him back if he was.

There was a knock on Kita's door and she stood, padding softly across her studio apartment to open the door. She frowned at the sight of Genma. His eyes immediately dropped to her bare abdomen and then roamed over her spandex-clad thighs. She rolled her eyes, slamming the door in his face. "Kita!" he exclaimed. She crossed the room, pulling open a drawer and quickly dressing in her long-sleeved blue shirt and long, baggy pants. As she crossed back to the door, she pulled her hair up into a tight bun. Genma was clearly disappointed when she opened the door again.

"Anything you need, Genma?" she asked.

"I was just going to ask if you would like to accompany me to the festival next week. I overheard Hayate mentioning that you were having difficulty finding an escort," he said.

"No," she said flatly, moving to close the door but he caught it.

"Well, would you at least let me take you out to dinner. I figure I owe you. Remember, you did win the challenge. One of the conditions was the loser bought the victor a meal," he said. She frowned, drumming her fingers along the door and thinking on it for a moment.

"You **are** a loser," she nodded, choosing her words purposefully. "Give me a minute." She closed the door sharply, walking back across the room to quickly set her weapons pouches in place, stashing away her various other weapons and sliding her chuunin jacket on easily before stowing her swords away over her back. She glanced in the mirror, ensuring everything was in place on her way back to the door. She opened the door as she stepped into her blue sandals.

Genma was pretty good company so she had no qualms with this arrangement. She liked food and he'd lost fair and square… quite spectacularly she might add. Debts did need to be paid.

He was telling her a hilarious mission story as they walked up main street and had her literally almost falling over she was laughing so hard. She leaned against him to stay upright. "This was the feudal lord?" she clarified.

Genma chuckled deeply, "Yep."

"Where did his pants end up?" she wheezed out between laughs.

"You won't believe me!" Genma exclaimed, waving his hand.

"Oh come on! You can't string me along like this and not tell me the end of the story!" she exclaimed. He laughed.

"What are you going to do if I don't tell you?"

"I believe you are familiar with how resourceful infiltration specialists can be Genma-san. Don't make me manipulate you," she said, stepping firmly in front of him.

"I'd let you manipulate me any time, Kita-san," Genma said lowly. She narrowed her eyes at him, before rolling them.

"Do those lines-"

"Kita," Hayate's voice cut through their conversation, sharp and decisive. She turned, looking at her brother as he walked up behind her. "What are you doing?" he asked, his voice reverting to a practiced calm she didn't believe for one instant.

"I was having a conversation niichan, but apparently that is not what you would like me to be doing…?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. She glanced to Gai who stood a few steps behind Hayate, but he was not even enough to make her smile. She didn't like Hayate's tone and where it indicated this conversation was headed. She knew her brother all too well, well enough to pinpoint his displeasure's source though clearly it was unfounded.

"I would rather my sister were not acting so familiar with my comrades in public places," he said. Her eyebrows shot up and she was immediately indignant. She looked at her hand on Genma's elbow. She removed it, but only so she could turn fully to look at her brother.

"First of all, Genma is my comrade as well. I work with him much more often than you do. Secondly, you cannot be serious," she said. "I act much more familiarly with Gai-kun in many places more public than this!"

"That's different," he said.

"Oh and how so?" Kita bit out in as restrained a tone as she could. She raised an eyebrow at her brother who stared evenly back at her.

"I trust Gai," Hayate replied lowly. "I did not approve of Genma courting you. Is that what you are attempting to do Genma?"

"He owed me dinner because I beat him in a challenge! Since you clearly don't trust me, you can ask half of the chuunin in the damned village," she interrupted, stepping firmly in front of Genma without allowing him to take on the full-force of her brother. Though not loudly-spoken, Hayate could be frightening. "Not that it is any of your damned business!" her voice rose. She didn't care what anyone thought. People would have their opinions either way. She'd long since been bothered by them.

"Ki-" Genma began, but she interrupted him again.

"And you, Gai! If you don't knock off that glare, I'm going to slap it off your face. What's gotten into you two?" she huffed. She took hold of Genma's elbow once more, pulling him away from the two sour jounin. Gai's powerful gaze followed her, causing her to flush slightly, but she pushed it back, covering it with her anger.

"You didn't need to do that, Kita," Genma broke the uncomfortable silence as he directed her into his favorite barbecue place. She shrugged, following him to a table and sitting down with an irritated sigh.

"I'm sorry my brother did that," she apologized. "It was extremely rude. His overprotectiveness knows no bounds."

"He is not very protective of you with Gai-san," Genma observed.

"Gai-kun is one of Hayate's closest friends," was Kita's soft-spoken response. They sat for a few moments in silence.

"I heard what happened to you when the Kyuubi attacked," Genma said quietly. She quickly shook her head. She didn't want to go there… not with Genma. She liked him, but not enough to talk about something like that. No, the only person who would ever hear her thoughts on that night would be the boy who had lived it with her: the boy who had looked into her eyes, reassuring her even as they were buried deeper and deeper into darkness and despair, the screams of her mother fading into the cold night air replaced with echoing silence for only a few moments before Gai's voice filled the void, whispering softly to her that they would be alright, that he would protect her with his life.

"Sorry," he said. They were quiet for a while, but Genma didn't take too long to draw her from her thoughts. They spoke of training and then of her new promotion, discussing who could possibly replace her former position. While they postulated a few, she was nearly certain her recommendation would be picked up.

"What about you? I hear you were accepted to the Hokage Guard," she said, finishing the last of her food. "That's pretty impressive."

"You have to start somewhere and the lowest of hokage night guard positions will not last too long hopefully," he shrugged.

"Hopefully not," she nodded decidedly. She looked at door and sighed, standing. "It looks as if I will need to run now Genma-san. I have promised to meet someone for training and I am not fond of being late."

"Go ahead," he nodded. She paused as she started past him and his hand touched her arm lightly. "Thanks… for dinner," he said, his voice sounding sincere and a bit lonely. She smiled a soft smile at him.

"We should do it again some time Genma," she said, lifting her hand to grasp his hand lightly. She released it immediately though, walking out without another word or glance back. She knew what it was like to be lonely. Every time Gai stepped a foot out the village it was as if she was suffocating with loneliness despite the number of friends she kept like Susumo, Ichigo, or Kurenai. Gai wasn't the same as them. He may have been Hayate's friend first but he was very much hers as well.

Kita arrived at the training grounds early as usual, watching as Hayate turned. He hardly caught a glimpse of her before disappearing. She shook her head. Moody damned brother… She smiled at Gai, but he did not smile in return. He looked a bit perturbed actually.

"Gai-kun, what's wrong?" she asked, walking forward quickly. He shook his head.

"You are ready for our session?" he asked, not looking at her.

"H-hai," she frowned. He nodded, taking off. She had to follow swiftly lest she lose him, but her entire training session sent her mood spiraling dismally. He didn't say another word to her even with prompting. By the time it was done, she'd wished she'd not even come. Very few got the singular "pleasure" of dealing with a silent Maito Gai. It was when he was silent that one had to worry and it affected her greatly. She was so frustrated with his attitude that she didn't even return to the starting point for the last sprint, heading straight for her apartment instead. She slammed the door behind her and walked forward to her bed, laying down and closing her eyes tightly. What was this feeling? Whatever it was, she hated it. It was like being punched in the gut by a kage.

Needless to say, Kita did not ask Gai to train for the next few days. She didn't see him at all and that hurt even worse. They frequented a lot of the same training grounds both spending quite a lot of time in Hokage Tower. Therefore, the only way for them not meeting to be possible was if Gai was avoiding her. Why? Why would he do something like that? It didn't make sense! What had she done to him for him to hurt her like that?

She found herself at a rather less-frequented bar that next Friday night. She didn't feel like being the life of the party as usual. She went where her friends were least-likely to be. The place was mainly-frequented by civilians. They were mostly older in age and tended to leave her be at least when she projected the mood she was in so obviously.

After finishing the first few drinks, she was pretty sure she should go home, but then she caught his scent. Her scowl was so fierce the wise gentleman beside her rose to move down a few seats. She was considering her chances of being able to slip out quietly, but Kakashi and Gai were seated at the table nearest to the door. He'd stop her. He'd want to talk. Or worse… he wouldn't do either. The fact that was even a possibility, was crushing and she didn't want to meet the reality of it.

The ache in her chest grew more and more painful and as the barkeep drew near, she asked quietly if she could get his strongest sake. He looked at her questionably, but conceded. "Go easy shinobi-san," he warned.

"I'm fine Yamanaka-giisan," she replied in a whisper. If she was lucky, Gai wouldn't notice her. She didn't want him to see her sadness. She was pretty good at wearing her heart on her sleeve. It was something she'd learned to control on the shinobi side and while she could do it now, she didn't like to put that kind of effort into it in the village not even for Gai right now. It was so exhausting out there… out where she faced her enemies. Besides, it was like pretending to be someone else and if she couldn't be herself here in the village then where could she be?

"Kita," the voice sent a shiver down her spine and both made her angry and elated at the same time. It was a horribly-confusing situation. So, to deal with it, she gave him the treatment he had given her for nearly three hours the other night. She ignored him. His hand touched her back and her body let out a huge sigh of relief, warming from his touch, but she fought it, her heart clenching as she shrugged him off.

"Kita, what's wrong?" he asked. She lifted the sake to her lips, downing it easily. "You don't usually drink like this." She said nothing though, nodding to the bartender who gave Gai a warning look as he poured a glass. She snorted to herself. Like he could do anything if the jounin did try to take a drunk kunoichi home with him. It was an honorable thought, but the bartender had retired a chuunin and that had been over twenty years ago. Oh if only he knew the kinds of things she'd done with that man. She threw back the next drink, despite Gai's words of protest.

"Kita!" he said sharply as she dropped it to the bar, raising her hand again. The bartender was serving someone else, but he'd nodded to her to show he'd seen her. Gai grabbed hold of her hips, spinning her barstool to face him. The sound of the legs scraping on the ground sounded loud even to her dulled senses. She quickly knocked his hands off of her and kicked him back but he only stumbled a few steps before finding his feet and staring at her in shock.

"Gai," Kakashi said, placing a hand on his chest. Gai looked to his friend then around at the other men in the bar. A few had risen. They were civilians, but many of them were former-shinobi. Most were former clan shinobi actually. She was right at home among them, related to a few if distantly.

"You alright Gekkou-san?" one asked.

"Fine Nara-san," she replied, glancing at the elderly man who sat nearby.

"Allow me to see you home?" he asked.

"I will stay a while I think," she said, standing and walking towards his table. "I would appreciate if he were not here though," she added.

"I think you heard her, boy," the Nara said in a strong voice. Gai didn't see him though. He only saw Kita.

"Gai," Kakashi said again, warning in his voice. He didn't want this fight. There were two shinobi here who had once been competition for the Third's position as Kage and another who had been Minato-sama's rival before the Battle of the Dark Ridge where he'd lost his right leg. He could still kill a shinobi in a fight as he'd been fashioned with a rather impressive prosthetic but had promised his wife to hang up the headband after that. He could and would grasp it again in defense of the orphaned Gekkou girl. She was fondly-looked-upon by many of the clans, she and Hayate both.

"Kita, please talk to me," Gai said.

"I remember saying something remarkably similar during our last training session. It is not a good feeling- being ignored by someone you care about- is it Gai-kun?" she whispered.

Kakashi grabbed firmer hold of Gai as he tried to move forward, struggling slightly against the copy ninja. "You were with Genma!" he exclaimed. She looked up at him in shock.

"Because of Genma? You treated me like that because he made good on a promise!?" she growled. She took a step towards him.

"Kita-chan," the Nara said. She looked to him nodding. She was far too intoxicated to deal with this now and it would be putting him in a difficult situation if she were to leave even if it was to kick Gai's ass. He would feel honor-bound to look after a young female kunoichi in such a state. She had no problem with common chivalry and she would not take offense to that.

"Hatake-san, if you would please ensure that this young man makes it home safely?" another man spoke up. She glanced over, recognizing a friend of her father's.

"Ah," Kakashi nodded. Gai didn't resist this time, allowing himself to be led out.

Kita found herself ushered to another table with Nara and her father's former-teammate, Tsumi-san. After Kita sobered up a bit lost in the tales of the second great war, she saw herself out of the bar. It took a bit to convince her overprotective comrades to leave her be, but when she did, she found the peace was singularly magnificent. The cool night air washed over her and the peaceful quiet of the village sunk in, calming her.

She couldn't believe that Gai honestly had been upset with her for having dinner with Genma. It wasn't as if she didn't eat with comrades regularly. She'd never done so with Genma as he tended to be a bit handsy but he'd been anything but that night. He was lonely and he didn't want to ruin that connection. She wouldn't let Gai's feelings sever their friendship not when Genma was so clearly troubled as of late. She ran a hand through her hair, remembering the many times Gai had displayed his dislike of Genma. She wasn't sure she got it fully before, but she completely understood now. Apparently Gai was jealous.

She'd never dealt with this before, but for some reason her anger was ebbing away leaving only regret, guilt. Why she should feel guilty? She wasn't quite sure, but it was there. Perhaps it was because she'd not made the connection. She was quite intimate with Gai, but it wasn't as if they were anything more than… well, what they were. She swallowed hard, remembering her wandering thought regarding little clan heirs… She shook that image from her mind just as she had the first time it had come upon her. Silly, impossible thoughts. Gai was way too good for her. He couldn't… but he was jealous…? Frustrating man!

Kita didn't go home. She didn't know if she could go back to that place, see those stupid petals or not see them? She didn't know which would be worse. Would he have stopped leaving them there to annoy her? As her feet carried her aimlessly, she found she needed to see him. She needed to explain or to… She didn't know what she needed to do. She felt so lost.

Kita pulled a key from the chain around her neck and let herself straight into his apartment. Gai had given her this key years ago. She'd used it more and more over the last year though. It was more usual for her to sleep at Gai's apartment than her own. Honestly, she'd not realized how often it had been that she'd slept here until the last few days where she had slept in her own bleak home. Hayate was right about it. He complained all the time at how empty, how cold it was though usually his complaints consisted of tired sighs or irritated glances. She knew how to read him in any case. Gai's apartment was anything but that.

Gai wasn't there and relief warred with sadness that she pushed away as best she could. Helping herself to a quick shower, she dried off hastily, reached in the bottom drawer of Gai's dresser, and pulled out a pair of black pajama bottoms which she tied as tightly as she could around her waist and then an overlarge t-shirt. She had no sleeping clothes here. She'd always used Gai's. She'd never considered if that was really okay. She pushed her uncertainty away. What was the worst he could do: tell her to take it off, make her leave? The idea meant to comfort herself and seem flippant caused a great pain to swell in her chest.

Kita laid down and slid under the green comforter closing her eyes. She pulled Gai's pillow up to her nose, breathing in deeply. It was immediately relaxing. She drew her knees up, cradling the pillow tightly to her and keeping her eyes tightly closed. She felt guilty, incredibly guilty but she shouldn't, should she?

When the door opened, Gai paused. He drew a deep breath, letting out an almost-relieved sounding sigh. She remained stiff, not pretending to sleep, not pushing away the pillow. She breathed in his scent, trying to figure out why she felt so much like crying. She forced the tears back, feeling stupid. Alcohol was clearly a factor still, but she shouldn't feel this bad from only that. He spent some time in the kitchen before she heard his footsteps cross towards the bedroom. The door creaked open and he stepped in silently. She could feel his presence rather than hear his steps now. He was trying to be quiet.

It didn't take the impressive ninja long to realize she wasn't sleeping. He was halfway through pulling off his jumpsuit when he paused in his movements. She felt her stomach clench. He was by her side in two normal-sounding steps. She felt the dip of the bed as he sat upon it. His large warm hand touched her back and she shuddered slightly, her grip around his pillow tightening as she had to fight harder to keep from crying. She had a choking fear that he would send her away. She couldn't bear that. Would he, could he do that to her?

Gai sighed again, removing his leg warmers and stripping his jumpsuit in one quick motion before sliding fully into the bed with her, his chest warm against her back, his grip strong and comforting. "I'm so sorry, Kita," he whispered, warm breath tickling her ear. She didn't trust her voice right away. His hands took hold of hers around her body and he pulled his knees up as well molding himself to her from head to toe as he tucked his head against her neck, his lips resting against her shoulder which was exposed due to the ridiculously-large shirt falling down her arm.

"Do you ever feel… do you ever feel like I'm taking advantage of you?" she asked in a voice so soft it was hardly even a whisper. This was it, the main issue. He was jealous of her and he never gave her reason to be jealous, but they weren't in that kind of relationship. They'd settled that, but still… she didn't want him to feel like that. She was sure he could hear how close she was to tears, but she had to say it. She needed to get it out before she lost her nerve.

"Kita, where did this come from?"

"Just… do you?" she demanded. He didn't respond right away and it caused a sinking in her chest. She turned her hands in his and gripped them tightly. "Sometimes I feel like I am," she continued in a more depressed tone, swallowing hard as she accepted the idea slowly.

"Don't take silence for an answer, Kita," he said, sounding displeased. His grip tightened around her. She shuddered, feeling the first tear slide down much to her embarrassment. The only consolation was that it was caught on the pillow before he could notice. "You should never feel that way. It isn't quite so easy to take advantage of me. If I EVER make you feel that way, I expect you to tell me so immediately."

"Gai, you shouldn't have to-"

"Immediately Kita," he ordered.

"Why would you be jealous of Genma?" she whispered. He stiffened a bit, holding his breath for a long minute before letting it out.

"I do not like the way he looks at you," Gai muttered, his breath warm against her skin.

"Gai-kun, I am not… NOT interested in Genma. He is a good friend, but he will never be more than that," she said.

"Just as I will never be more than that," he said with a slightly-questioning tint to his tone that struck her deeply.

"You are not just a friend!" she choked out.

"What am I then?" Gai rasped.

"Let me go a little bit," she pleaded, knowing that she wasn't strong enough to break his punishing grasp. He did so immediately and she spun around, pressing her lips to his tightly. He kissed her gently in return, brushing her hair back and cradling the back of her head carefully. She let out a small sound of protest when he pulled away.

"Promise me he is nothing more," he said, staring down at her.

"I promise," she whispered. He smiled softly, kissing her chastely and pulling her tightly to him, clearly content to hold her. She wondered what this meant. Usually when she stayed over it was for a specific reason. She'd never just… stayed over, but he didn't seem to be intent upon… that.

After a thoughtful moment, she turned back around, taking hold of his pillow once more and pulling it against her chest. His arms wrapped around her and she found herself taking hold of them immediately. She shuffled down slightly, so her shoulder was below his arm and she could rest her cheek on his arm, his skin hot against hers. She wanted to do this for him, to just be here with him, but the feel of his skin against hers, his hand running up and down her forearm lightly and his breath against her neck were making it difficult.

He chuckled as her breath picked up. It wouldn't be audible to nearly anyone other than the damned Green Beast: Maito Gai, genius shinobi of Konoha. "It's not funny," she whispered, wondering how silly her breathless voice sounded before she laughed as well but her laughter stopped when his hand left her arm, sliding up her shirt along her flat stomach. She quickly grabbed hold of it.

"If you don't want-"

"I always want you," he whispered before his lips closed around her earlobe. She gasped in surprise as he nibbled lightly, his hand sliding down her stomach and under the loose waistband of the pants that rested on her slim hips. She swallowed hard, trying her best not to squirm. His lips left her ear, trailing down her neck instead, teeth grazing lightly along her sensitive skin. She moaned softly, trying to turn, but his arm that pillowed her head moved to wrap around her ribs, tightening around her and holding her there.

"Gai," she complained, but his hand traveled lower and she couldn't form any more complaints. He slid the pants easily off her and then pulled his spandex undershorts down slowly and she could feel him against her which caused her to gasp. He was already very much ready. He slid one of his legs between hers slowly, very slowly, spreading her legs wider and shifting his hips forward, his chest pressing against her back as he kissed her neck. As he pressed against her a much more intimate place, she found herself struggling against him again. She wanted to feel him and he was taking so long. He sucked on her neck hard, still not entering her.

"Gai!" she exclaimed and finally he shifted his hips upward. She cried out at the feeling, familiar but unbelievable at the same time. She swallowed hard, reaching down to grab hold of Gai's hand which rested lightly against her lower abdomen. She slid her fingers through his, curling her hand over the back of his and biting her lip. He pulled out slowly and pressed back in again with a smooth, careful movement. She had to bite down hard to keep from crying out once more.

"Gai, please," she whispered, needing more, needing to feel all of him, all he could do. He pulled out slowly again and pushed in just as slowly. She tried to move against him, but his arm around her ribs kept her still as he whispered her name softly. She could feel herself building slowly a low burning heat that was building to a height that she craved but not fast enough. She knew he could take her there much quicker, but he was holding back, taking his time. His lips began to settle light kisses on her face. She craned to turn her face to his and he kissed her passionately, not changing his pace but creating a whole knew set of flutterings inside her. His hands stroked gently over her, tracing her curves and ghosting over her skin, setting her nerve endings on fire.

When he broke the kiss, was when it changed. He began to speed up, the hand she still clung to lowering and circling her clitoris. She cried out, panting as he pounded into her and finally she came shouting his name as wave after wave of passion flew over her.

He stilled inside her, but she knew he hadn't come. She felt an agonizing wonder at him as he settled through her orgasm and as soon as she came down he turned her over onto her back, staring down at her tenderly. He ran a hand along the side of her face and she closed her eyes tightly. He kissed her eyelids gently then rained kisses over her face completely unhurried, untroubled with her inability to look at him. He kissed a trail down her jaw and then drew a deep breath against her neck.

He drug his hands down the sides of her body until they reached her thighs. His large hands wrapped around each thigh, holding them up and out. He stared at her intensely and started to move his hips once more. Each stroke hit that perfect spot inside her and his eyes bored straight into her soul. The sensations were so intense that it didn't take long before he had her flying once more and this time when she clenched around him he came with her, releasing her thighs then leaning over her,. He whispered her name over and over, his lips resting against her ear. She shuddered, feeling too hot and too cold, and too high and too low all at once.

Kita had so many sensations flowing through her that she hardly knew what was happening. She did know that Gai was kissing her though, a sweet, gentle kiss, different than any she could ever remember. She couldn't even think of the last time she had been kissed like this… with such real, raw feeling. She was crying, really and truly crying and he still kissed her. It was overwhelming. Gai was overwhelming.

What was happening? She hadn't been lying when she told Kakashi that she and Gai had been… well what they were. This seemed outside the realm of some mutual need being fulfilled. This felt much more like… the word scared her. She didn't believe in such silly things. Still, Gai's kisses were doing something to her and his strong calloused hands grazed so tenderly along her skin in the most wonderful way. She was on her back still and he lay partially on top of her, his leg between hers. She was wearing only his simple black shirt which was bunched up under her breasts where one of his hands rested. His other hand cupped the side of her face, thumb tracing along her cheek, brushing her tears aside with each soft stroke.

Finally her tears became more than that and a sob wracked her small body. Rather than pull away though like she knew she should do, she turned into him, pressing her tear-stained face against his elbow which had propped him up on the bed. "Shhhh," he whispered, stroking her hair gently and rolling over onto his side, pulling her into his arms carefully. She couldn't control her body or her emotions, but Gai was patient and he simply held her. She didn't know why.

They'd never done something like that before She'd never done something like this before. Everything that was happening was so far out of her control that she wasn't sure how she should be reacting. Gai had just… he'd made love to her. She was pretty sure that's what that was. What did it mean though?

Thank you for reading.


End file.
